La Grange de Mon Père is a Delightful Extension to a Tiny Farm House in France

MJ Architectes convinced their clients to allow them to add a light addition to their family farm house in Marseille, France instead of a heavy new dwelling they asked for. And we're so glad they did. Situated in an agricultural area of the country, La Grange de Mon Père is a very simple timber addition with two gables and a belly full of daylight that juts off the kitchen area of an existing home.

All of the buildings in this farming community of Marseille are defined by a certain aesthetic, one that the clients were loathe to disrupt when the needed to expand their home to accommodate a new child. But the designers managed to strike the perfect compromise with a lightweight 63 sqm extension constructed almost entirely out of timber.

Raised slightly off the ground to minimize site disturbance, the extension has concrete plinth for a foundation, wood floors, wood walls, and a roof without a frame. Glass openings ensure that the interior is full of light, careful orientation maximizes winter solar gain, while a sliding shutter provides shading during the summer. It’s amazing how such a simple intervention as this can completely alter the character of a home.